PEDRO -- A drop and then a pick up had South Point Junior Lady Pointers coach Joe Stevens wondering.

Stevens said he had the Pointers a three-point favorite coming into Thursday's Ohio Valley Conference Middle School track championship meet if everything went well.

At first, it didn't.

The Lady Pointers dropped the baton in the 4×100 relay and placed fifth. But the 4×400 relay team of Summer Malone, Tara Coleman, Emily Barker, and Whitney Woody took second place.

"After we dropped the baton, the 4×4 relay team really stepped up," Stevens said. "They couldn't even place early in the year."

South Point had 85 points to finish first and ahead Fairland which had 76 points. Rock Hill was third with 63, Chesapeake had 49 and Coal Grove 30.

"These girls worked hard all year and got better every meet," said Stevens. "This is one of the best group of kids I've worked with. They were very unselfish and would do anything for each other."

The Lady Pointers were led by Jessie Craft who took meet high point honors with 22 points. She won the 100 meter dash and high jump while placing second in the 100 meters.

South Point's Sara Lee won the 100 meter dash and the long jump.

Fairland won all four relay events.

The 4×800 relay team of Shea Berry, Sara Hatfield, Molly Bumgardner, Amanda Adams won at 11:42.9, the 4×200 team of Emily Trador, Jennifer Thomas,

Anna Baker, Brianna Davis had a 2:04.8 time.

Kim Hope, Jennifer Thomas, Leslie Newman, and Lindsay Marshall ran a

57.9 to take first in the 100 meter dash.

Also winning for the Lady Dragons was Bethany Barbor in the shot put, and Sarah Rucker was first in the discus.

"We were hoping to win tonight (Thursday)," Fairland coach Barb Dinwiddie said. "The girls did what they had to do. The seventh grade girls helped up this year like (Brittany) Brunty and both the Ruckers (Emily and Sarah)." Jim Walker/The Ironton Tribune&gt